Royce & Associates LP Has $1.71 Million Position in Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA)

Key Points

• Royce & Associates LP has significantly reduced its stake in Murphy USA Inc. by 87.6%, now owning only 3,635 shares after selling 25,757 shares.
• Several hedge funds have increased their positions in Murphy USA, with American Century Companies raising its stake by 8.4% and Blair William & Co. increasing theirs by an impressive 248.9% during the fourth quarter.
• Murphy USA recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, up from the previous quarter's $0.49, reflecting the company's commitment to returning value to shareholders despite a decline in quarterly revenue.

Royce & Associates LP reduced its holdings in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA - Free Report) by 87.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,635 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 25,757 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP's holdings in Murphy USA were worth $1,708,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MUSA. GW&K Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Murphy USA in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the first quarter worth $40,000. CX Institutional acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the first quarter worth $59,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth $64,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Murphy USA by 63.5% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. 80.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Murphy USA Trading Down 2.8%

MUSA stock traded down $10.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $352.38. 299,226 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 292,320. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74. Murphy USA Inc. has a 52-week low of $345.23 and a 52-week high of $561.08. The company has a market cap of $6.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.59 and a beta of 0.48. The stock's fifty day moving average is $418.49 and its 200-day moving average is $456.06.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The specialty retailer reported $7.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.54. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 61.57%. The company had revenue of $5.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.92 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. KeyCorp lowered their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $500.00 to $480.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Murphy USA from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Murphy USA from $520.00 to $440.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Murphy USA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $350.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Murphy USA presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $484.88.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director David C. Haley purchased 1,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $435.58 per share, with a total value of $435,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $435,580. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 9.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Murphy USA Profile

Murphy USA Inc engages in marketing of retail motor fuel products and convenience merchandise. The company operates retail stores under the Murphy USA, Murphy Express, and QuickChek brands, as well as operates non-fuel convenience stores. It operates retail gasoline stores principally in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest United States.